Competitions on the ski jumping hill in Ruka can be very lottery and even dangerous. This is all because of extremely strong gusts of wind, which help competitors fly far away, but at the same time can cause unpleasant falls.
One of the ones that immediately comes to mind when mentioning the competition on Rukatunturi is Thomas Morgenstern's competition from 2003. Fortunately, the Austrian did not suffer any serious injury, but he will probably remember the whole situation for the rest of his life.
Szaranowicz apologized for what he said. Morgenstern's fatal fall
It was November 29, 2003. The next day, the next World Cup season began in Ruka. Matti Hautamaeki won, Adam Małysz was also on the podium, second and Veli-Matti Lindstroem third. However, after the second competition of the series, there was no joy for any of the competitors, only fear. And fireworks were fired despite the canceled competition.
– I felt uncomfortable. We didn't cancel the fireworks show, but maybe under the circumstances we should have. Even though we already knew that there was nothing wrong with him, we wanted to make up for everything to the fans – he said in an interview with Sport.pl about the situation 18 years ago by Seppo Linjakumpu, then secretary general of the Ruka Nordic complex of facilities. During the competition, which was repeatedly postponed and interrupted and dominated by strong winds, even experienced jumpers experienced major problems. A few of them fell, but none as badly as Thomas Morgenstern.
“Everything – the approach position, the take-off, the transition into the flight phase – seemed perfect and promised a triumph, until suddenly, in the air, both skis hit my body. I rolled forward and saw that the right ski was coming out. A terrifying feeling! You can feel it! as your body rotates in the air. You lose your orientation and you don't know which is up and which is down. At that moment, you grit your teeth and wait for the impact bula,” wrote Morgenstern in his autobiography “My fight for every meter” published by Sine Qua Non publishing house.
He fell on his spine, hit the landing pad and a moment later he was sliding down the hill, first sitting and then lying down. As he revealed in the book, when he was treated and transferred to the ambulance, he cried and only wanted this nightmare to end and for the injuries to be as small as possible. – Oh my! – Włodzimierz Szaranowicz, commenting on the competition for Polish Television, shouted when he saw what was happening to Morgenstern. He fell silent for a moment, and then explained his words to the audience. – Oh God… I'm sorry for this reaction, but it's terrible. It's a terrible thing – added the journalist.
“I called the ambulance. I asked how bad it was.”
– The case of Morgenstern's fall was terrible. I remember how we were waiting for any news about “Morgi”. I called an ambulance. I just asked if they had already gone to the hospital and how bad it was. However, the doctor told me that he did not seriously damage anything – Seppo Linjakumpu described to us. After a few hours, journalists learned that Morgenstern actually “only” had a broken finger. “The tibia hurt especially. At first I thought it was broken, but I only had a nasty cut from the ski. My thigh was all purple. My head was pounding, I had a concussion,” Morgenstern described in the book.
Ultimately, the jumper had to take a break for a month, but he returned for the opening competition Tournament Four Hills. However, the fall accompanied him for the rest of his career – it left a serious psychological wound. Nine years later, the Austrian fell dangerously on a mammoth in Kulm, and although he took part in the Olympic Games in Sochi, he later ended his career. Mainly because of the fear and problems he still had to face when he appeared on the hill after dangerous falls in the past.
And Ruka has already gained the status of a capricious, windy and even dangerous hill. Those who attended training camps here knew that it was almost always windy and strong. In the following seasons, the wind did not let up, but the FIS appreciated the fact that you can jump here in very early winter and the preparation of the facility is at a high level. Activists knew that the organizers had little influence on the weather. They were not the ones who made Morgenstern fall, although the competition jury could of course have stopped it earlier.
The competition was held again, in the morning the next day. However, only one series was conducted. It was won by Sigurd Pettersen from Norway, second again by Adam Małysz, and third by Veli-Matti Lindstroem. It was quite an important moment for the history of Polish performances in Ruka. Poles have never won in Ruka. And although after Małysz's three second places in 2002 and 2003, they stood on the podium seven more times, they were never closer to victory than he was. Małysz was only 1.2 points behind Pettersen.
Malysz has seen even worse falls than Morgenstern's. “There was blood coming out of the mouth”
– That fall looked ugly. Thomas did a somersault, but fortunately nothing serious happened to him. However, something like this always looks tragic – said Małysz about Morgenstern's fall from Ruka in the series “Małysz recalls” on the SkokiPolska.pl website. – I saw an even worse fall up close and personal, that of Daniel-André Tande from Planica in 2021. I was on the boulevard at the time where he hit his head and it looked as if he was about to break his neck. Great respect for him for getting out of it and returning to the hill. I also remember the fall of a Russian player who had a lung punctured through his ribs (Małysz is talking about Valery Kobelev and his fall from Planica in 1999 – note). It's been years agobut I was jumping in front of him at the time. I was standing at the bottom and I remember this unpleasant picture of him lying on the ground with blood coming out of his mouth. There are many difficult moments that stay in your memory, but on the other hand you decide to practice ski jumping, an extreme sport – said the current president. Polish Ski Association.
He was also asked whether he would have jumped in that interrupted 2003 competition if the decision had not been made to hold another one the next day. – I think I would jump. I remember World Championships in the flights in Vikersund in 2000, when we all came down from the runway. Later, there was an FIS meeting and they told us: either you go or we jump with those who want to. In fact, everyone left then, but the conditions had calmed down a bit. Sometimes the fear of falling makes athletes afraid to take risks. It all depends on the situation; I had cases in my career where the coach pulled me off the beam and I was disqualified – recalled Adam Małysz.
Let's hope that this season Ruka and other ski jumps in the World Cup calendar do not show us their most brutal side. The competition in Finland will start with Friday training and qualifying, scheduled for 5:10 p.m. Two individual competitions will be held on Saturday and Sunday, at 5:00 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., respectively. Live coverage on Sport.pl, a broadcasts on Eurosport, TVN and on the Max platform.